Tinkered Just A Little Too Long

"Just one more thing".

I had wanted the capability to post shorter posts along with the featured posts of the day. I know there is a way to do this because I have seen it. And I kept working on getting that one more thing done until I discovered that I had used the wrong process for changing templates (the look of the site). I thought this might explain some nagging problems that occur but take less than 30 seconds to fix. I also found a template more consistent with the background we used in the past. No big deal, this is all user friendly and automated. The next thing I knew I had lost most of the extra content. I have been working on a"work around" just to get them back all afternoon. I could have duplicated them in that time. So please excuse us while we take care of these technical matters once and for all. You see, when I have a post, the last thing I want to discover is some annoyance.

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In the meantime, it would be a good time to get the e-Lee Dispatch delivered by mail. That way you will know when there has been a new post. Not every person visiting the blog wants it known that they are a regular reader. There are two solutions. One is Feedblitz. This program gives all kinds of options--one of which is to keep blog publishers from knowing who is subscribing.
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A New Look and A New Approach

Some explanations are due the faithful readers. As you know this will be only the fourth post in December--that is about the number that you could expect in a week. News may slow down a little in December but life does not. We appreciate the continued interest in what was happening to the blog and our coverage of local events.

• My step-son received a call to report in mid-December to the Missionary Training Center in Provo, Utah in preparation for a two year mission (click here to learn more about missions) in the Frankfort Germany Mission of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. ( click here to learn more about the church.)

• Meanwhile another child, a member of the Temple Teens, was one of six "called back" for an audition at Blue Ridge Studios in Asheville for a national network show after the director had tryouts here and in Atlanta. Two friends died on the same day.

• From February through November, the blog provided nearly 100 posts. This required a lot of the trademark pictures, attending a lot of meetings, making a lot of calls, and extensive use of the web, and many requests for public information. Given other commitments it is not a pace of personal reporting that is sustainable. Meanwhile, however, a review of rapid developments in blogging have made it possible to provide news and information on a daily basis for readers. This required a lot of research, trial and error page design, and testing.

• The need for more coverage and analysis of local stories was clear as some local developments needed more reporting and analysis, but in the future these will be briefer but hopefully no less insightful.

A number of news items will be followed up in the weeks ahead. The Sanford Herald is looking backward to the top stories of 2008. Looking forward to 2009 the E-Lee Dispatch can see:

• A series of posts on the impact of the forgery relating to a single form filled with the Board of Elections that will only not "just go away" but becomes a and the e-Lee Dispatch will be unfolding some of the results. Great care has been taken because more than one or two people could find they will face significant changes in their life plans. This is not only going to turn out as a significant legal matter but also a number of personal tragedies.

• The completion of unfinished commentary on what happened in the last election based on continuing research since November.

• A community decision on what the Republican Party needs to mean to Lee County and the potential ouster of its leadership
• Developments in regard to BRAC that shift from reactive to proactive as new leadership takes responsibility for guiding Lee County's participation.

Below the regular post is a video clip that will remain on the site for several weeks. It was the first of a series that has been updated over time and will be updated over time. It has a very specific reason for being there. The nature of work and the economy over the last few decades is leading us back to a more fluid, less certain situation where there’s just as much work, but where fewer and fewer people will approach the workplace in the tidy box of “a job.”

What We Think We Know About Signs Could Be Wrong

Alternative Theories Surfacing About Signs Significant time has been spent looking into "sign gate." For those who have been concerned that this matter would not get much attention, my communication with the election official in charge convinces me that is, indeed, being treated very seriously. Based on information developed by the e-Lee Dispatch, the public may have a very different impression of what transpired based on assumptions that may or may not prove to be wrong. The assumption has been that only Jamie Kelly would have had access to the information on the certification. That may not be true. Just suppose Kelly-Marcom was acting, at least in part, as a supplier, and their bill had an invoice attached with the information. The person with that bill may have known the information, too. Kelly may not have been involved in the filing of the first certification at all. The assumption has been that the primary motivation was to keep Herb Hincks off the board so Jamie Kelly would have a better chance of being chairman. Kelly may have already counted votes and known that he could not get four votes even if Lemmond had won. If so, that theory collapses. It is clear now that some key actors within the Littiken faction of the GOP contacted individuals for the purpose of "defeating Herb." They did a good job of keeping a low profile, and it has taken a month to get reliable evidence to support that charge. Or perhaps it was a person who still harbours ill will against the prior board, especially Hincks and Pascal, for not supporting an action that would have changed that person's political future. Kelly did not have all that much to hide by taking responsibility for the signs. They were excellent and raised legitimate questions even if they left a somewhat false impression on the landfill. But some others could have had a lot more to lose politically or professionally. With or without Kelly's involvement, we don't know, but they could have panicked. After the filing was made and repudiated by Steve Thomas, then Kelly stepped forward and filed the certification in order to protect the other parties. In fact, perhaps the invoice had not been paid, and Kelly decided to purchase the signs himself, making the amended certification technically correct. The question would be why, but that would lead to answers that make more sense than trying to cover up his own involvement. All the rumors about the involvement of a Sanford police officer have, after painstaking research, have been traced to one person. Perhaps that was a diversion, too, and a good one because a lot of people would be naturally inclined to believe it. That rumor's source may have known who was behind the signs or the false certification. In fact, he could have been connected to the signs or perhaps he was one of the two who took the form to Thomas. Acting as if he had learned names from Thomas would be an excellent diversion from his own involvement whatever it was. Starting the rumor about the other individual would make his own involvement less likely. There is a saying, "I once thought I made a mistake, but I was wrong." Perhaps all the rumors are true--sometimes they are. Perhaps they were just rumors with no one feeding them. There was at least a planned diversion that resulted in two certifications being filed. Perhaps the investigation will clear all this up. This is just a suggestion that a lot of what we assumed or thought we knew was a planned diversion. Maybe or maybe not. Based on information learned in digging deeper, there is at least one other "theory of the crime" that makes as much sense and has no more unanswered questions than what most have assumed to be what happened. Both what most have assumed happened and this new theory of a planned diversion have aspects that cannot be explained or answered--just different ones that are just as reasonable. After communication with state officials, this is likely to be the last post on this subject until a lot more is clear than has been the subject of speculation up until now. Editors Note: Another column has been added to the continuously growing post Opinions on GOP Future--A Cross Section Of Ideas on the E-Lee Dispatch Post for those interested in differing commentators opinions on where the GOP goes from here. Each column has a brief summary and a link to the full post. The latest is by Star Thomas and is entitled Formula for GOP recovery: traditional values PLUS limited government. Check by the post and see if reading the full column interests you.

Stone In Partnership With Subject of Sign Investigation

Felony Conviction Could Ruin Business Plans If Stockholder Loses ABC Permit

The outcome of the investigation of a falsified individual contribution report is apparently of little concern to Stephen M. Thomas, Sanford City Councilman Mike Stone, and Phillip S. Bray who formed a corporation on November 5, 2008 to buy and operate Good Fellas Private Lounge & Grill here in Sanford at 2709 Lee Ave. (see articles of incorporation). All three of the stockholders will be required to have ABC permits and were granted temporary ABC permits (see permits) on November 12 and have applied for regular permits. The temporary permits will not expire until February 9, 2009. State ABC regulations (click here to read the requirements) state that to be eligible to receive and to hold an ABC permit, a person shall not have been convicted of a felony within three years, and, if convicted of a felony before then, shall have had his citizenship restored. But Thomas has made repeated statements to different media outlets and a large group of friends that he did indeed make an untruthful certification to the Lee County Board of Elections under penalty of perjury. State election law states:

Any person who shall knowingly make any false affidavit or shall knowingly swear or affirm falsely to any matter or thing required by the terms of this Article to be sworn or affirmed shall be guilty of a Class I felony . § 163 90.3

Perhaps Stone and Bray know something about the status of the state's investigation into Thomas' admitted role into falsely signing a certification regarding those infamous red and white signs. While Stone claims plans for purchasing Goodfella's were under way before the current controversy developed, the three appear to be "betting the farm" that Steven Thomas will escape being charged and convicted of a felony. Stone denies knowing anything about the status of the investigation and says Thomas has not revealed the names to him. There has been considerable speculation that Thomas could win a grant of immunity if he cooperated with investigators and identified the "two friends" who persuaded him to sign the certification and identities any others who were behind the attempted cover up and why they picked Thomas to sign the form. Others have suggested the matter will not be given a high priority by election officials leaving no one charged with the crime. Thomas, who operates a tobacco farm on Castleberry Road, signed an official certification filed with the local board of elections certifying that he was responsible for the political signs that mysteriously appeared around Lee County. Shortly after word of the filing spread, Thomas insisted that he was "victimized" when he was asked to put his name on the paperwork and says he had nothing to do with the purchase or distribution of the signs. Thomas would not say who asked him to put his name on the certification filed with the Lee County Board of Elections indicating that he paid for signs which read "No Tax, No Hincks" and "No Landfill, No Hincks." He has continued to insist that he didn't order, pay for, or distribute the signs or know anything about their purchase. "I'm not involved in politics," Thomas said. "I put my name on that piece of paper because a couple of people who I thought were my friends asked me to. They said that nothing would come of it. I was victimized." Jamie Kelly, a first-term Democrat who was not up for re-election on Nov. 4, filed an amended campaign finance report the next day reporting that it was he and not Thomas that had purchased $2,842.48 worth of anti-Hincks signs from the Victory Store in Davenport, Iowa on Sept. 13. That document has identical information as the form Steven Thomas signed the day before except for the date of purchase. Thomas said later that day again that he did not purchase the signs. Kelly told reporters he did not know Thomas personally and that he was not involved with any effort to force him to sign the election reports. Thomas, on the other hand, has maintained he is a long time acquaintance of Kelly, and friends say he remains furious over Kelly's assertion that the two are not friends. The Iowa firm that made the signs has confirmed that it was Kelly who ordered the signs and that the information on the form appears to be correct. If this is the case, Kelly was 9 days late filling the certification but would not have made a "false statement." Some believe that there was no original intention to report the expenditure at all but panicked when word was about to break on who was responsible. (see post) Nevertheless, questions remain such as who had access to the information about the vendor and cost of the signs that correctly appeared on the form filed by Thomas, and if that suggests that Kelly may have directed or had any knowledge of the attempted cover up. Another item that has not been determined is who owned the credit card that was used to pay for the signs and if it was a corporate or individual card. The Sanford Herald first called on Kelly to disclose all that he knows about the incident. When he failed to do that, it has called on Kelly to step down until he is cleared of any involvement. The incident continues to be a matter of intense local interest and speculation as to who approached Thomas. Most speculation and a number of rumors have centered on a current Sanford law enforcement officer known to harbor a long time grudge against Hincks and to have close ties with the family of Oscar Keller, Jamie Kelly's grandfather, a well known political figure. Meanwhile an October 28 complaint (see post) alleges that "an individual or individuals conspired" to have Thomas take the fall for their unwillingness to sign the required paperwork needed for campaign expenditures by having Thomas sign his name on a false report. There has been no official response to the complaint which was forwarded to the State Board of Elections. Community activist Jimmy Fraley is said to be considering a petition drive urging the Board of Elections to turn the matter over to the State Bureau of Investigation and expedite the investigation.

Irony In Reives' Presentation of Plaques

Testimonial for Lemmond, Quick Goodbye to Quiggle.

Nothing symbolized the transition of power within the Lee County Commission as much as Robert Reives' presentation of a plaque of appreciation to Jerry Lemmond, the outgoing commissioner he could always count on as a second sure vote for whatever he proposed. Reives was presenting the plaques in the absence of former chairman Bob Brown who did not attend the swearing in ceremony. With Lemmond's vote in his pocket, Reives had always started any issue knowing he had that othervote he could count on. Not only did he present the plaque, Reives gave a testimonial that sometimes had the tone of a eulogy to the outstanding job that Lemmond had done as a commissioner emphasizing that Lee County owed a great deal to the exceptional hard work and dedication of Jerry Lemmond. This was even more evident in the contrast as Reives then called John Quiggle to the front for his plaque. After reading the brief inscription on the plaque, it was obvious that Reives had given no thought of what to say to a commissioner who had on several occasions brought out the intimidating snide remarks with which Reives can so quickly turn on an adversary. There were a few mumbled words about Quiggle's willingness to take the job and fulfill its duties. Picture Courtesy Of Brook Wolf Sanford Herald Oddly, it was Reives who was most responsible for Quiggle's being selected to fill the vacancy created by the sudden resignation of Republican Commissioner Kirk Smith. Reives, with the help of Jamie Kelly, devised a very clever maneuver to advance one of Reives' goals. Republicans had put up a fierce battle in May to get Kirk Smith appointed to the commission as the "official recommendation" of the Lee County GOP as replacement for Amy Stevens, a Republican county commissioner who resigned in February. Kirk Smith's tenure was short lived, though. In early December, after just six months on the board, Kirk Smith offered his own resignation, citing time constraints with his job. But meanwhile, in September 2007, the democrats on the commission learned that Richard Littiken had lost his recognition in May as local party chairman and the state GOP did not consider Lee County to have an organized Republican Party to exercise the party's statutory but non-binding recommendation of Kirk Smith. Littiken originally claimed it was just a matter of missing paperwork, but the truth finally emerged that he had simply ignored state party rules and not called the Lee County GOP convention to elect officers and qualify as a county organization recognized by the state party. When Reives and Kelly realized that Littiken still had not acted to correct the situation when Kirk Smith suddenly and unexpectedly resigned in December, they saw an opening to take advantage of the lack of a legally recognized Lee County GOP to fill Smith's vacancy without having any recommendation from the Republicans to complicate matters. But what they really wanted was another vacancy on the school board that would make room for Shawn Williams. Just a month earlier the board had selected Dr. Lynn Smith over Shawn Williams to replace Mary Ellen Axner but had let it be known that Williams was one of the top choices from among the small group of finalists for the position. It would be difficult for the school board to name anyone but Shawn Williams if another school board vacancy became open so soon. So Reives and Kelly targeted GOP school board member John Quiggle and convinced him to take the seat vacated by Kirk Smith, pointing out he would not need a Republican endorsement and argued that by joining the commission he could help improve already strained relations between the board of education and the commissioners. Other GOP party leaders with close contacts with the state party hurriedly organized a county convention on Saturday, January 5, that re-elected Littiken and a new Lee County Republican Executive Committee that was immediately recognized by the state. That Saturday night the committee nominated Harry Undy, a Carolina Trace resident and combat decorated former Marine, to fill Smith's seat. The last minute recommendation did not sway Kelly or the other democrat commissioners because the plan was in motion, and Quiggle was elected on January 7. The next night Quiggle resigned from the school board and Shawn Williams was then voted in unanimously by the school board on January 8. After electing Quiggle, he was largely ignored by the democrats because he had served his purpose and they had gone to work on bringing Shawn Williams around to their way of thinking. (See earlier post and comment)

Swearing In Just The Beginning of Expected Changes.

There will be a the swearing-in ceremony for the new commissioners held at 8:30 a.m., Monday, December 1st at the old Lee County Courthouse. This will be far more than just a legal requirement. A reception will follow in the new courthouse. This will be far more than a social event. The Commissioners will meet at the Government Center at 10:00 a.m. for their regular meeting. It will likely be the last meeting scheduled when the timing makes public input difficult for the many employed citizens of Lee County. The election of Richard Hayes, Larry "Doc" Oldham, and Amy Darymple along with the return of long time commissioner Ed Paschal is expected to result in a significant changes from the way the previous commission did business. The County Commissioners are already off to a bipartisan start. Democrat Richard Hayes has the votes lined up to be chairman and Republican Larry "Doc" Oldham has the votes lined up for the position of Vice Chairman. This process was largely carried out without significant input from Commissioners Reives and Kelly by the newly elected commissioners who seem to be working together with little consideration to party affiliation. Part of the expected changes include making one of the previous two meetings a month a work session that begins with public comments. With a work session there is near unanimous agreement that the infamous Finance Committee will be eliminated. This will bring to an end to one of Robert Reives tools for controlling commission actions and intimidating county employees. A change in meeting schedules to make them more accessible to the public is among the new commissioner's top priorities. One idea would schedule the work session at noon which would permit those who are employed to use their lunch hours to come for the pubic comment portions of the meeting. The business meeting is definitely moving to the evening although discussion continues as to the time the meeting would start, and 6:00 pm seems like the preferred choice. There is some concern that starting then would not provide some workers time to get there while others feel it would permit them to come by the meeting on their way home. The adversarial relationship between the commissioners and the Board of Education is likely to come to an end, although it remains to be seen if Commissioner Linda Shook's areas of emphasis will change to focus more on items that the commission can do something about. She seemed on the verge of accomplishing one of her major goals--seeing a new budgeting approach that would increase the school board's transparency in the use of funds and more clearly identify what activities were being funded with county appropriations versus state and federal sources. In fact the measure passed the finance committee, but Commissioner's Reives and Kelly changed their position when the proposal was presented to the full commission and killed the Shook proposal. With the commissioners taking office at a time of economic uncertainty which may require them to deal with budget matters far sooner than normal, she may find the new commission more receptive to her proposal. While the Board of Education and county commission were ultimately forced to deal with health and safety issues largely ignored by the commissioners at Lee Senior High School, the new commission will be much more interested in finding permanent solutions that taxpayers will support. Another vote on the local one quarter cent sales tax is likely but not before the commissioners feel a clear consensus has developed on its use. All this makes the ceremonial swearing in just the start of what will prove to be interesting developments you will want to follow in the e-Lee Dispatch.

Program to Free Up Funding For Loans

A bank with close ties to Lee County is getting a capital injection under one of the programs designed to help the banking industry during the current banking crisis. Capital Bank Corporation, parent company of Capital Bank, has announced that it has received preliminary approval of its $42.9 million application to participate in the U.S. Department of the Treasury's Capital Purchase Program (TCPP). According to Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation Chairman Sheila Bair, the Temporary Liquidity Guarantee Program, which is voluntary, is to unlock inter-bank credit markets and restore rationality to credit spread. This will free up funding for banks to make loans to creditworthy businesses and consumers. The program, has two key features. (see press release)

• The first feature guarantees new, senior unsecured debt issued by any bank, thrift or holding company, which will help banks fund their operations. Both term and overnight funding of banks has come under extreme pressure, with the costs of funding ballooning to several hundred basis points. This guarantee will allow banks and their holding companies to roll maturing senior debt into new issues fully backed by the FDIC. However, guaranteed maturities cannot extend beyond three years. The ability to tap into this program expires at the end of June 2009.

• The second feature of the new program gives unlimited insurance coverage for non-interest bearing deposit transaction accounts. These are mainly payment processing accounts such as payroll accounts used by businesses. Frequently, they exceed the current maximum insurance limit of $250,000. Many smaller, healthy banks have been losing these accounts to their much larger competitors because of uncertainties in the financial system. This new, temporary guarantee –- which runs until the end of next year –- should help stabilize these accounts, and help us avoid having to close otherwise viable banks because of deposit withdrawals.

Under the TCPP, the U.S. Treasury Department will purchase 42,900 shares of senior preferred stock which will pay a dividend of 5% for the first five years and 9% thereafter. The Treasury will also receive warrants to purchase Capital Bank common stock with an aggregate market value of $6.4 million, or approximately 15% of the senior preferred stock investment. Capital Bank will have the right to redeem the preferred shares at any time after three years. Companies participating in the program must adopt the Treasury Department’s standards for executive compensation and corporate governance, for the period during which Treasury holds equity issued under this program. These standards generally apply to the chief executive officer, chief financial officer, plus the next three most highly compensated executive officers. Capital Bank operates 28 banking offices in Asheville (4), Burlington (4), Cary, Clayton, Graham (2), Hickory, Mebane, Morrisville, Oxford, Pittsboro, Raleigh (5), Sanford (3), Siler City, Wake Forest and Zebulon. The Company's website is http://www.capitalbank-nc.com